Independent: Jose Mourinho set for meeting with Manchester United board over international break

The 55-year-old oversaw a miserable pre-season tour of the United States and ended the transfer window without the centre-back he so desperately wanted.

Man United’s season has unfolded in a likewise unhappy fashion, with the side losing games against Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton, Derby County, West Ham United over the first couple of months.

And according to Delaney, the Portuguese will hold a meeting with the club’s board this week to discuss the club’s immediate future.

Mourinho retains the backing of the club’s hierarchy despite a report from the Mirror on Friday night that he would be sacked after the game with Newcastle, regardless of the result.

The report has since been falsified by the club, who banned David McDonnell, the man behind the story, from having a press pass the following day.

Mourinho would have kept his job even if Newcastle had won at Old Trafford, but his long-term future at United remains bleak. This team is playing miles below its potential and even further below the standard set by Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool.

Ed Woodward and Co are reluctant to elicit change at this moment in time. That may well change over the next couple of months if results fail to improve.